


Humanity

by SpecimenXodus



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Johnny is vulnerable, M/M, Please note that does contain mentions of rape, Rape, Read at Your Own Risk, Sexual Abuse, Vulnerability, domestic abuse, psychological abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2020-07-07 17:24:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19856104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpecimenXodus/pseuds/SpecimenXodus
Summary: Johnny and Mark were a little more than a year into their relationship when Mark first laid a hand on him. Mark put fear into Johnny, but no body seemed to care. Everybody thought it was funny because Mark was short, tiny, and seemed harmless all the while Johnny was tall, strong, and seemed very dominant.





	1. Chapter 1

Johnny remembered the first time that Mark laid a hand on him. He remembered when everything started. Every single moment of it. They had been arguing over redecorating their room, of all things, in the dorms when everyone else was out and Mark began to get more and more angry before finally raising his hand and slapping Johnny straight across the face. The two had stared at each other in a stunned silence before Mark snarled and stormed out of the room, leaving Johnny to whimper and curl up on the bed. He remembered wondering why Mark would decide to hit him over something so... so minor. He remembered thinking that he had done something wrong previously and Mark was still angry about it. Those memories on that day were burned into Johnny's mind and nothing would ever take them away. 

Every memory Johnny had with Mark since then had been burned into his brain.

Ever since that day, over a year ago, being in a relationship had been hell for Johnny. Day after day of getting yelled at, scolded, for doing something wrong; getting hit, getting shoved and laughed at. Not to mention the fact that Mark had been forcing sex on him more recently. The amount of hotel rooms that Mark had raped him in were now pretty deep into the double digits, but Johnny never said anything. He knew better. He knew better than to make a sound when Mark was inside him and growling into his ear that he would kill him if he ever said anything. Ever since Johnny had once voiced his desire to leave the group and go back to America one night while on the phone with a friend, Mark had kept Johnny on a tight leash. He had Johnny conditioned now. Johnny was dependant on Mark for everything he did. Mark controlled him. Mark controlled what he wore, how his hair was styled and what colour it was, how his make up was done, how much he ate and what he ate. He kept Johnny weak, barely healthy enough to pass as relatively okay. Johnny didn't take of his shirt in front of anybody anymore because he knew that they would ask him why he looked so pale and sick; you could see his ribs, hip bones, collarbones had just enough meat on them to maybe keep him warm in a light breeze. He was sick, he looked sick, and Johnny knew that everyone would know it if he ever appeared unclothed to his fellow group mates. Ever again.

There was nothing that could be done. Not anymore. No matter how bad Mark treated Johnny, no matter what he said or did, Johnny was conditioned. He would never leave, and Mark knew that, and he never let Johnny forget it. Johnny was his. His to use and abuse. 

~~~~

It was their first time ever performing as a full group tonight, and they were all excited. There were nerves, but everyone was so excited. For the first time, all twenty-one NCT members would be together on stage. It was only one song before they split off to perform in their rightful units, but it was a start. Everybody was busy running around backstage, trying to find something it seemed. Whether they had lost their make up, their shoes, or their _clothes,_ it made everything a little chaotic to say the least. Amongst the indistinguishable chit chat, Mark could be heard giving Johnny a firm talking to. Everyone seemed to be snickering at the couple as they walked by, especially the younger ones of the _Dream_ unit. 

_"Gosh, Johnny is so whipped for Mark"_ someone would say in passing.

_"Wow, Mark looks so sexy when he's being serious"_ another would say.

_"Ha, look at Johnny. He's so tall and strong, but he's so scared of Mark"_ said another, not seeing anything wrong with Johnny being visibly afraid of Mark. 

Those around snickered and nudged each other when they saw Mark grab Johnny and drag him off to a private dressing room. _"You know they're going to fuck"_ said YangYang, laughing softly, looking over at Renjun, who only laughed and went back to doing his make up. 

"You're not going to fuck this up tonight, right, Youngho?" Mark growled, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"No, sir..." Johnny squeaked out, his legs already trembling. He looked down at Mark and forced a smile, trying his hardest to not show too much fear. He wrapped his arms around himself and kept his eyes on his feet, nodding his head over and over. He was just on autopilot now. He was exhausted and in pain, both emotionally and physically. 

"Look at me when I talk to you, _John,"_ Mark growled, grabbing Johnny's hair and forcing his head up, "You idiot. I told you, it's rude to not look at somebody when they talk to you. And you know how much I hate when you are rude. Now tell me again, you're not going to fuck this up tonight, _right?"_

Johnny swallowed thickly, the faint sound of footsteps echoing in the background as he stared at Mark, "No, sir.." he said again, his eyes beginning to dart around.

Mark laughed darkly and shoved Johnny back, stepping closer until Johnny was backed into the corner, "And when we get back to the dorms tonight, I'll make sure to fuck you nice and hard. Just the way you like it. But that's only if you're a good boy tonight, do you understand?"

Johnny flinched at Mark's words, his gaze going directly back to the floor, "Don't want it.. Don't want it.." he hiccuped, tears already pricking the corners of his eyes.

"Excuse me? What was that?" Mark growled, stepping even closer. "What don't you want?"

"I don't.. I don't want to have sex tonight. I want to sleep..." Johnny mumbled to the floor, his eyes widening when Mark forced his head up again. He gasped and tried to struggle away, wanting nothing more than to _just not do this now._ They were about to perform for fucks sake. Why couldn't Mark realise that. 

"I don't care if you want it or not," Mark spat, bringing his hand back and back onto Johnny's cheek. The slap was hard enough to echo through the room as it sent Johnny stumbling a little bit o the side, "You'll like it. You always do. You love when I make you bleed." 

Johnny looked back up just in time to see something change in Mark's expression. Something else took over. Something darker. Instinctively, Johnny tried to back up but was shoved to the ground before he could. "Please, I'm sorry!" he pleaded, crying out when Mark kicked him in the stomach. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll be good, Mark!" he sobbed again, yelping when Mark landed another kick in his stomach before two more in his rips. He coughed and cried, pleading to Mark to stop and that he was sorry for talking back. It only made Mark angrier though, and Mark had had enough. With one more, _violent,_ kick to the face, Johnny had been knocked out and there was silence.

Satisfied, Mark stepped back and looked down at his boot to make sure there wasn't any blood on it. He smirked to himself and turned back to the door, his eyes widening for a second when he saw Jaehyun and Ten standing there with equally wide eyes. He tensed. Surely they would know that this was Johnny's fault and let him off, right? Rolling his eyes, Mark stormed off, pushing passed the two and heading off to finish getting ready.

"I'm telling you, that's _not_ how you're supposed to sing it! It's too high pitched," Ten laughed as he spoke to Jaehyun, making sure to pinch his boyfriend's cheek as a way to tell him he was joking. They were passing the room that Johnny and Mark had been talking in when they looked over and saw Johnny backed into a corner and Mark glaring up at him. The two couldn't help but snicker and continue walking until they heard the clear sound of a harsh _slap._ The two looked at each other for a moment before slowly carrying on their walk. However, when they heard the sound of something heavy falling to the floor, they rushed back, trying to keep quiet in case it was nothing. It was nothing, right? The couple got back at the doorway just in time to see Johnny curl up on the floor and start pleading with Mark, who only kicked him in the stomach. Kick after kick into his stomach and ribs. Jaehyun and Ten just looked on, completely dumbfounded. They were frozen in place as everything began to piece together. Everything from the past two years. Johnny was scared of Mark for a reason, and this was it. They were both ripped from whatever trance they had been in when they heard one final yelp and then complete and utter silence. Jaehyun was the first to look back up, squeaking and tightening his grip on Ten's wrist when he saw Johnny laying motionless on the ground with a small pool of blood next to his face. When Ten felt Jaehyun's grip tighten, he looked up, his heart sinking when he saw Mark smirking above a bloodied and beaten Johnny.

The two locked gazes with Mark, Jaehyun instinctively pulling Ten closer to him. Neither of them said anything before Mark stormed passed them, Jaehyun protectively wrapping his arms around Ten before the couple rushed in to help their friend. "Johnny?" Jaehyun breathed, immediately checking for a pulse. "He's alive, but we need to get him to the hospital. _Now."_ He looked back up at Ten, who was brushing Johnny's hair back just enough to see his nose was broken and there was blood soaking his face. "Chitta, you have to go tell everybody. But you have to be quiet about it. If Mark knows that everybody else knows, he might lash out again. I'll call an ambulance and stay here with him. Whatever you do, make sure that _someone, I don't care who,_ keeps Mark from leaving. This is beyond serious now, and we're about to be under a spotlight. Mark doesn't run off, no body sees Johnny taken out into the ambulance. Got it? You need to pass that on to everybody _but Mark."_

Ten nodded frantically, looking at Jaehyun and then back at Johnny, his heart breaking for the other man as guilt rushed through him for all the times that he made fun of Johnny for being scared of Mark. He stood up and rushed out to where the other members were just finishing up getting ready and getting their mic packs put on.

This wasn't going to be easy. For anybody. Johnny would need them all more than anything. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, Johnny. Wake up.." Jaehyun whispered, worrying his bottom lip. He laid Johnny's head in his lap and pet his blood soaked hair, "It's okay, baby. We're going to get you help. We're going to make it all better. Mark won't hurt you anymore, okay? He can't hurt you anymore. Not while I'm here." He looked up when he heard numerous sets of footsteps rushing towards the room they were in. When everybody started flooding into the room, Jaehyun looked around, worrying his bottom lip, "Chitta, where is Mark?" he questioned, smiling sadly when Taeyong knelt down and stroked a hand over Johnny's face. He could see the panic in his eyes. He could only imagine what Taeyong was feeling. Taeyong was the leader, he had to look after twenty other members, and now here he was looking at one of his members beaten and most likely traumatised on many different levels. Slowly, Jaehyun reached out his hand and gripped Taeyong's wrist, a weak yet reassuring smile on his face, "It's okay. He'll forgive you." When Taeyong smiled back, he looked back down and pulled off the grey T-shirt he was wearing and began to clean away the blood that was on Johnny's face, whispering praises to him. 

  


"Mark is with Lucas. He's not happy. He tried to punch Lucas, but Lucas definitely wasn't having it. Knocked him out in one swing. Definitely not going anywhere any time soon." Ten couldn't help but chuckle, but looked up when one of their managers came in to let them know the ambulance was out back and waiting. He smiled weakly and moved to help Johnny into Jaehyun's arms. His heart broke when Johnny's head fell back, having to be supported by Jaehyun's shoulder. He motioned for everybody to make a path before finally managing to find his voice, "We need to make sure nobody sees this. We're going to walk around Jaehyun and Johnny like we're the god damn American Secret Service, okay?" When everybody nodded in agreement, Ten motioned for a few to go out first, followed by Jaehyun carrying Johnny, then followed out by everybody else. This was a straight shot.

  


Everyone filed out of the room, protecting Jaehyun and Johnny like their lives depended on it. They owed it to Johnny. They owed him everything - especially since they never saw anything wrong before and continued to laugh about the situation. Of course nothing would make up for it ever again, but it's the least they could do for the time being. There were tears as everyone headed out to the ambulance; hell, everyone felt like they were walking out to a hearse at a funeral. It pained everybody to see someone of their own hurting another one of their members. It was almost unfathomable. 

  


When they reached the ambulance, everyone stepped back and bowed their heads, holding hands with one another. They bowed as they thanked the paramedics and watched Jaehyun and Ten get into the ambulance with Johnny. 

  


They still had to perform, and everyone knew that they had to keep quite about why they were missing five of their members. Johnny in hospital, Ten and Jaehyun refusing to leave his side, Mark knocked out by Lucas, who still had to puppy guard him to make sure that if he woke up, he wouldn't run off again.

  


This was not going to be easy.  


  


  


  


  


  


Johnny came to shortly after they had arrived at the hospital and gotten his injuries treated. He was now laying in a bed, his head pounding as he tried to crack his eyes open. "What the fuck?" he breathed, bringing a hand up to rub the hair out of his face. He frowned when he felt his hair was... crusty? He stirred in his place, struggling to sit up. 

  


"Johnny!" Jaehyun gasped when Johnny started stirring and trying to sit up. He jumped up, but quickly managed to calm himself when he saw Johnny flinch and shrink back. He sighed and reached out, placing a feather light touch onto the other's hand, "Johnny.." he whispered, feeling a bit more confidence when Johnny didn't jump back. "It's okay.. We're okay. You're okay. Mark not going to hurt you anymore, okay?" He wiped his tears away with the back of his sleeve and smiled down at Johnny, who only stared blankly ahead. 

  


"He didn't hurt me," Johnny mumbled, almost out of instinct. He brought a hand up and ran his fingers over his bandaged nose, whimpering slightly. 

  


"I know that's not true," Jaehyun whispered, squeezing Johnny's hand lightly before sitting back down next to the bed, "Listen, Johnny. I know, we know, we saw it happen. Chitta and I saw Mark hit you, saw him laugh after he kicked you in the face. We saw it. Saw him. And we're not letting it happen again. Okay? No one is going to hurt you anymore."

  


As Jaehyun spoke, Johnny felt himself tearing up. He hiccuped and cuddled into himself, his mind beginning to shut down. Mark loved him. Mark wouldn't hurt him. He didn't mean to, right? There was nothing that Johnny could have said or done that would make them believe that Mark wasn't abusive, and Johnny knew it, but yet he still tried. He tried to play it off like it was his fault, which he did every time. Mark loved him. Why couldn't anybody else see that?

"No one hurt me," Johnny mumbled, keeping his eyes fixed on the IV that was in his hand. He shook his head, "No body hurt me. Mark didn't hurt me. He loves me." He hugged himself tightly, trying to avoid the judging gazes of Ten and Jaehyun. 

"John.." Ten spoke up, keeping his voice soft as he inched closer to the bed. He smiled sadly, trying to keep too much emotion from showing through in his voice. He rested his chin on Jaehyun's shoulder as he looked down at Johnny, who still had his eyes on his lap. "I'm going to go talk to the doctor, okay? You two can talk." He pressed a soft kiss to Jaehyun's cheek before heading out of the room. Fuck, he was so close to breaking down. Seeing Johnny - someone he loved and cared so deeply for - broken and lost in such a way killed him. How could anybody hurt him like that? There had to be more to it... No, there couldn't be. Abuse was abuse, no matter who started it or what caused it. Mark still hurt Johnny, Johnny was still scared of Mark. That was all there is to it. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind as Ten paced around the hallway, sighing in relief when a doctor finally passed by. "Excuse me!" He breathed, reaching out for the doctor. When the doctor turned around, Ten bowed politely and worried his bottom lip, "Uhm, I was wondering about the current condition for Seo Yungho? I understand that he's been treated for a broken nose, but was there anything else that needed to be treated?"

The doctor returned Ten's smile and bow before looking through the small window of the door to Johnny's room, "Right.. Mr. Seo. Well, we treated him for a few fractured ribs, a broken nose, a few teeth were knocked out. He has a mild concussion, but there are many clear signs of abuse. We're not allowed to conduct a full body exam without the consent of the patient, but while we were getting him out of his clothes, I can say that there are very clear sighs of..." The doctor paused, taking a steady breath, "There are clear sighs of sexual assault.There are two teeth in the back of his mouth that had been knocked out, but they are well healed, so I would say that happened roughly two months ago. There was also a fracture on his jaw that seems to be in the process of healing, as well as fractures on his collarbone that seemed to have improperly healed. I strongly advise finding a way to take him out of his current environment and relationship. Whether they're male or female, they are definitely abusing him. You need to help him."

As the doctor spoke, Ten could feel tears welling in his eyes.How could anybody hurt Johnny in such a way. Sexual abuse? Breaking bones? These are all things that Ten couldn't even dream that Mark would be capable of. It was like a bomb had been dropped. Having to process Mark as an abuser, Johnny as the abused. It was all almost too much. Ten thanked the doctor, bowing one last time before turning around to go back into Johnny's room. He closed the door and sighed, immediately wrapping himself around Jaehyun, tears rolling down his face. "I can't believe Mark would hurt him like this!"

Jaehyun shushed his boyfriend, patting his hip, "Johnny fell asleep, baby. We need to be quiet." He pressed a kiss to Ten's temple and worried his bottom slip, "What did the doctor say, hm?"

Ten hiccuped, whimpering quietly, "H-He said that..That they treated Johnny for.." He sniffed again, burying his head into Jaehyun's chest, "For a concussion, broken nose, broken ribs... He said that Johnny had some teeth knocked out but those are healed, so it already happened... A-And he said that.. that he has signs of sexual abuse. What do we tell everybody?"

"We don't. For now, let's just play this out day by day for now. We're going to make sure that Mark stays away from Johnny, and we're going to make sure that everybody knows _how_ Mark has treated him. Of course we're not going to throw Johnny under the bus and tell everybody what the doctor told you, but they have to know that it's been abuse. Okay? And we have to take this to the company CEO eventually. This isn't okay. If we can't make this better, we're going to have to ask the company to intervene."

The two sat back down next to Johnny's bed and held onto one another, talking amongst themselves about a plan of action. Surely they could work something out soon enough. Soon enough that Johnny wouldn't have to be hurt anymore and Mark could face the consequences he deserved. It was about time, after all.

"It's okay, John," Jaehyun whispered, looking at Johnny's sleeping form. "We're all here to help you. He can't hurt you again."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This contains graphic violence and blood.

After reluctantly checking Johnny out of the hospital, the boys all piled into their bus to head to the next stop on their tour. It was cramped, that was for sure, but how everyone seemed to crowd around Johnny to protect him from anything that Mark might do, it was a bit more comforting for everybody. No one was letting Mark near Johnny if their lives depended on it, and if looks could kill, they were sure someone would be dead. They had never seen a look of such hatred on Mark. Mark was _furious_ and there was no denying that.

The events that panned out at the hospital were definitely something that Jaehyun and Ten would remember for the rest of their lives. It would haunt them. The look of pure fear in Johnny's expression when Ten had come to tell them that he was going to check Johnny out so they could make their tour schedule. It wasn't their choice. Any of their choices. It was the company, but the company had stated that if Johnny was injured then he wouldn't be obliged to perform. That was relieving, but the hardest part of it all was that now with the other's constantly on edge that Mark will snap, and Mark sporting a truly and utterly beautiful black eye due to Lucas punching him out, no one was really all that sure that they would be able to put their full focus onto their performance. This was definitely going to be difficult for everybody, but no one could fathom how Johnny felt. They were still completely and utterly baffled by the fact that this had been going on under their noses and they had just _written it off_ as something comical to look at; big scary John scared of tiny Mark. Everyone felt guilty, especially when they saw the extent of the damage when Johnny came home with a bandage on his nose, a bunch of gauze wrapped around his ribs under his bloodied shirt, and the blank look in his eyes.

Lucas had been the first to come up and wrap Johnny up in his arms, making sure to keep it light so it wouldn't hurt him. He smiled against Johnny's shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to the bruised flesh, "It's gonna be okay.." he cooed, running a hand down his back before pulling away and smiling weakly, "Welcome home, John. Uh.. I hope that you can still call us your home." He bowed shyly before backing up, seeing that he may have scared Johnny a small bit with the sudden hug and kiss. He had always been a very touchy person, but now that Johnny seemed to be afraid of everyone, he probably should try to refrain from touching Johnny too much in case he spooked him. He helped Johnny sit down on the couch and smiled, hesitantly letting go of his hand before going to get him something to drink.  


The others weren't entirely sure how to react after seeing Johnny tense and shy away from Lucas. If they couldn't touch him and it seemed too weird to bow to him, they settled to just all mumble soft 'welcome home's to him before going about their business. However, when Johnny saw Mark, he immediately tensed and bowed his head. He couldn't let Mark see him like this. He couldn't bear to see Mark so angry at him. He hadn't told anyone anything, but Mark didn't know that. Mark probably thought that Johnny had spilled everything to throw him under the bus and get him in trouble with not only the members or the company, but the police too. Johnny wouldn't do that to Mark. He loved Mark. He needed Mark.

  


  


  


When the group had arrived at their next stop and had divided up their hotel rooms, making sure Mark got his own room and Johnny was paired with Jaehyun and Ten. They didn't want to chance Mark getting into Johnny's room and hurting him. Johnny was hurt enough. He was hurt enough. They didn't even more blood on their hands. This was going to be hard enough to keep away from the public with Johnny's rather noticeable injuries, they didn't need Johnny having even more injuries. He was hurt enough, both emotionally and physically. It was too much already, he didn't need to be under a microscope.

"Alright, we have three hours before we have to get to rehearsal. Now would be a good time to rest up, unless you want to go out and do whatever." Taeyong scanned over the group of members, crossing his arms over his chest, "If you choose to go out on the down, make sure that you're back by twelve-thirty. That way we have time to do head count. Got it?" He scanned the group once more, making sure they all nodded in understanding before they disbanded. Most of the WayV members headed right into their rooms to rest, followed by Donghyck and Dongyoung. Johnny watched as most of the members decided to go get some rest, but Johnny really didn't want to to lay down. He didn't want to sleep. That's when the monsters wanted to come get him.  


"I'm.. I'm going to go get coffee..." Johnny mumbled, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Ten questioned, concern evident in his voice. 

"No. I want to go alone. I just want to be alone." Johnny bowed his head before heading out of the hotel, rubbing his eyes. Part of him really hoped that Mark would follow him so that they could talk, but he knew that Mark would be angry - no, Mark would be _livid_. The thought scared Johnny, but he hoped that he would be able to talk to Mark before he struck. 

"Should we go with him?" Ten questioned, looking over at Jaehyun with a worried expression. 

Jaehyun watched as Johnny left and watched as Mark entered the elevator, sighing in relief that Mark didn't hang around. He pet Ten's hair and kissed his forehead, "No, not today. Mark is going up to his room, and Johnny probably needs a little bit of quiet. He's probably overwhelmed right now, baby. We can call him in a little bit if he's not back, okay?"

"Okay.." Ten whispered, hugging onto Jaehyun as they walked to the elevator.

  


  


Johnny spent quite a bit of time wandering around the city, hugging himself and just hoping that Mark would come find him to comfort him. He wanted the comfort of his lover. He needed it. He didn't know what to do without Mark. Without much further thinking, he pulled out his phone and easily sent his location to Mark. Surely he would show up at the park, right?

Well, Mark did show up. Any hint or expression that showed he loved Johnny in any way, shape, or form, was most definitely _not_ evident in that moment. Johnny still tried to go in for a hug and tell Mark how much he loved him and that he was sorry for causing problems. There was a feeling of hurt when Mark pushed him away and glared up at him. He flinched under the hateful gaze and quickly bowed his head. Soon after he looked down, he felt himself being grabbed by the shirt and dragged from where he was standing. It was Mark, he could tell by the roughness of it. Obediently, Johnny followed. He followed Mark back into the public restroom that was in the park, and to his dismay, the park _and_ the restroom were completely empty. Johnny cried out when Mark slammed him against the wall and grabbed his chin, forcing them to make eye contact. 

"You've been a bad boy, Youngho..." Mark hummed, smirking up at his 'lover'. He tsked and stepped back, taking one last look around before he shoved Johnny back into the biggest stall in the back. "And you know that _bad boys_ get punishments." He pushed Johnny face first into the wall of the bathroom stall and growled, smirking when he heard Johnny's soft cry of pain. "Look at you. Acting like you didn't enjoy when I beat you up. I only do it because I know you like it. I know how much you love it when I degrade you and make you look _and_ feel like the bad boy that you are." As Mark spoke, he was loosening his belt with his free hand, laughing when he finally managed to pull it from the belt loops of his pants. "You know what to do, John. You know your punishment when you're a bad boy."

And Johnny did. He had been through this plenty of times before. More than enough times. He hesitantly undid his jeans and pushed them down, followed by his boxers. He sniffed and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to brace himself for what was about to come. He sniffed, yelling out when Mark brought his belt down on his ass. "O-One.." he panted, trying to keep his legs from giving out from the pain. 

"Forty!" Johnny sobbed out, finally letting his legs give out when Mark let go of the back of his shirt. He dropped down to his knees, feeling blood run down his back, down his ass and thighs. He could only imagine how his back looked, or his ass for that matter. He knew they looked god awful and he wasn't sure how he was going to be able to walk all the way back from the hotel without blood soaking into his shirt and his jeans. Luckily he had a hoodie he could wear to cover his back, but he wasn't sure what to do about his pants. When he finally managed to pick himself up again, he realised that Mark had already left. He had been too busy hearing his own heartbeat race in his ears that he hadn't noticed that Mark left. Anybody could have walked in and seen him on the floor, bleeding pretty badly from his back and ass. He sniffled and managed to get his clothes back on, slowly dragging himself out of the bathroom. There was white hot pain every single time he took a step, but he willed himself to keep walking. As long as he kept his head down, and didn't make any eye contact with anybody, he would be okay. Surely. _Surely_ no one would recognise him. It's not like he looked flashy at all. 

When Johnny finally arrived back at the hotel it was well passed the curfew that Taeyong had given them all. Tears still pricking the corners of his eyes as he shuffled over to the elevator, Johnny was pleading to whatever higher power that was up there that Ten and Jaehyun would already be gone. Or any of them for that matter. He didn't want to see anybody. He just wanted to shower and lay down. That's it. If he didn't have to perform, then he most definitely wasn't going to.

As he exited the elevator, Johnny strained his ears to try and hear any sign of life behind the doors of his fellow group members. He couldn't hear anything, and he thought he was in the clear. Using the room card to open the door, Johnny slipped inside and whimpered when he had to reach back to close the door. He turned around and looked up, his eyes widening when he saw Ten and Jaehyun standing their with their own eyes wide. Johnny froze. What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

"Why haven't you two left yet? You're late.." he mumbled, trying to play it off and act like blood _wasn't_ soaked into his clothes at this point.

"Why the fuck do you have blood all over you!?" Ten shouted, causing Johnny to back up and duck his head.

"Honey.. Keep your voice down," Jaehyun whispered, putting a hand on Ten's shoulder before he stepped forward and lightly gripped Johnny's shoulder to spin him around. Hesitantly, he lifted up Johnny's shirt, nearly falling over at the sight of the amount of bleeding marks on his shoulders, back, and worst of all, the fact that they disappeared into his jeans. Fuck, if they didn't have to leave _right this second,_ the two would be all over Johnny. Of course they all knew it was Mark. Jaehyun knew it, Ten knew it, and Johnny for damn sure knew it.

" _We're talking about this later,"_ Ten huffed, pulling Jaehyun back just enough for Johnny to shuffle off to the bathroom and lock the door behind him. "Come on Jae. We have to go."

"Right.. Right.." Jaehyun whispered, looking at the bathroom door for a moment before following Ten out the door.

They were dealing with way more than they originally thought. This would require help from the entire group, not just the two of them.


	4. Like Thunder

As Johnny stepped under the water in the shower, he hissed as the water hit the open wounds on his back. He sank to the floor of the shower almost immediately, letting out a loud cry into his hands. Why was he doing this to himself? He knew it was wrong. He knew he shouldn't have done it, yet he couldn't bring himself to stay away from Mark. He needed Mark. Mark was the love of his life. His reason to live. He depended on Mark. Mark only treated him like that because Johnny was a bad boy, and bad boys got punished. He had always heard that from Mark. If Mark said it, then it had to have been true. Mark never lied to him. He never would lie to him.  
There was so much going through Johnny's head as he struggled to keep from taking his own life right then and there. How would Ten and Jaehyun react to Mark when they saw him at practice? Would they tell the others? How would this turn out for the both of them? All of them. The tension, the looks of hatred shared between Mark and the other members. All of it. Johnny didn't see this turning out in any other way other than someone either getting hurt because of him, or kicked out of the group. Surely there was no in between. And that terrified him. 

Johnny stood under the water, his face twisted up in a constant expression of pain. The hot water running down each open wound on his back was something he had never gotten used to feeling. He felt like the wounds were being split open all over again - and some of them were. It was never a huge surprised when there was a slight tint of red or pink water going down the drain any time Mark saw this punishment fit. Slowly, Johnny took a sat down under the burning water, hugging his knees against his chest as he finally felt his tears roll down his cheeks. There was so much running through his head. How was he supposed to hide everything now? Now that Jaehyun and Ten knew how Mark treated him. And Lucas. Lucas, who decided to punch Mark out and make everything know about what he saw. How was he supposed to be _Johnny, NCT's most romantic gentleman_ , when Mark had beaten and screamed every ounce of confidence out of him. Johnny was nothing but a shell of his former self.

Without much more need to be sitting under the water, which was now beginning to run cold, Johnny slowly pulled himself up from the bottom of the shower, wincing as he leaned over to shut off the water. He stepped out of the shower and hesitantly reached out for a towel. He wrapped the towel around himself, sighing at the heavenly fluffy feeling of the plush fabric. He patted himself dry before he set the towel aside, not all that fazed by the fact that there was a mixture of pink and deep red that scattered across the white of the towel. This was going to be a long night.

  
Slowly, Johnny managed to get himself dressed and comfortable in bed. A good two hours had passed since Ten and Jaehyun left. Two hours of reflecting life in the shower? That had to be a new record. The show was bound to be either already over, or soon to be over. Which meant Johnny either had either thirty minutes until they were all back, or forty-ish minutes. Give or take. Johnny knew damn well one of them would want to stop somewhere for cheap food. He just hoped that one of them would be nice enough to bring him something. Even if he wasn't that hungry, he still wanted someone to think about him.

  
Johnny was quite rudely awakened by the sound of someone throwing open the door and yelling his name. Johnny yawned and cracked his eyes open, frowning. He hadn't even realised he'd fallen asleep. Slowly, Johnny looked over to where all the noise was coming from and tensed for a minute before his brain fully registered Jaehyun's form walking towards him.

"Hey, John..." He cooed, kneeling beside the bed and petting Johnny's head and smiling at his sleepy expression. "We brought you Burger King, sweetie. Burger with no ketchup and, in your own words 'a shit ton of veggies'. But before you eat, we really need to have a talk. Can you do that for me, John? Can you sit up for us so we can have a talk? I won't let this wait."

Johnny whined and made an attempt to roll over, hissing when he felt the clotted blood stretch and crack on his back. "Okay, fine. You got me. What is this so important talk that you need have with me?" Like he didn't already know. He was about to get an earful. And he wouldn't even be hungry after it.

"Come on. Let's get you up," Jaehyun cooed, helping Johnny sit up and looking over at Ten, who was just coming out of the bathroom. "Chitta, can you get the first aid kit that we bought? We need to get him fixed up before we start."

Ten nodded and quickly trotted over with the kit in hand, a weak smile on his face, "Here. Let's get this shirt off. That way we can fix up your back." He made a grab for Johnny's shirt, taking a breath before he lifted it up. No matter how much he thought he was prepared for it, it was still a gruesome enough sight to stop his breathing for a split second. Mark really had done a number on him, and how Johnny had managed to walk home unnoticed was beyond him. He handed Jaehyun the gauze before grabbing the disinfectant spray, "This might hurt, baby. Take a nice deep breath for me. There we go.. And out.." When Johnny exhaled, Ten sprayed the wounds on his back, cringing when Johnny whimpered and tensed up. "It's okay.. Just breathe. It's over." He set the spray aside and managed to keep Johnny from squirming around too much while Jaehyun practically wrapped his entire torso in gauze and medical tape. 

When the couple had finished up their mediocre job in fixing up Johnny, they set everything aside and huffed, "Alright, Johnny. Now." Jaehyun pulled up two of the chairs that were set at the desk a little ways away from the bed, humming softly, "Let's talk about this. About Mark." He crossed his legs, waiting for Ten to sit down and do the same before speaking again, "Tell us everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been a while. But here we go. It's short, and I wish I could have given more. But at least it's something!


	5. Eternal Love

“Johnny, we really need to talk about this. Okay?” Ten sighed, sitting down in the chair next to Jaehyun and crossing his legs, “We can do this all night. If you’re not going to say anything now, then we have all the time in the world right now.”

“Chitta, don’t be like that.” Jaehyun looked over at Ten, glaring at him, “Even though he’s right, there should have been a better way to phrase that.” Jaehyun sat up in his chair and smiled when he met Johnny’s gaze, “John, we’re trying to help you the best we can without going to the rest of the members. I know you would rather have this say between the three of us the best that it can be. That’s what we intend for, but if you can’t speak up about what’s been happening between you and Mark then I’m afraid that there won’t be any other choice for us to take this to the other members or even the company.”

Johnny felt nauseous at Jaehyun’s words. Of course, he didn’t want this to go to the other members, and definitely not the company. Mark would probably kill him then and there. He opened his mouth to speak a few times, closing it each and every time. He didn’t know where exactly to start for this. Mark hadn’t always been this way. It only started when things started getting stressful following the promotions in Korea and the United States. He sniffled, shifting in his place on the bed and looked over at his bag of food, frowning. Why couldn’t he have eaten it first so he could enjoy it? He would have thrown it up anyway, but at least that would have been a little bit of happiness for a few minutes before this dreadful moment. Johnny truly felt like he was about two inches tall.

“John.” Jaehyun spoke, breaking Johnny of his thoughts. When Johnny looked up at him, he smiled and moved over to the bed, pressing a kiss to Johnny’s forehead. His heart ached when Johnny flinched and proceeded to look confused that he wasn’t hit across the face afterwards, “Please. Talk to us.”

Ten looked at the two, feeling a small ping of jealously strike through him when Jaehyun kissed Johnny’s forehead, but when Johnny smiled after his initial flinch, he smiled. Maybe they could make this work in the future. He wouldn’t mind. As long as it meant that Johnny was safe.

There was silence for a good while as Johnny tried to find his words. Time passed by slowly, very slowly. For all of them. Johnny’s thoughts were racing as he tried to find a place to start. He wasn’t exactly prepared for this. His thoughts were a mixture of Korean and English, his tongue felt like it wasn’t even his, his body felt like he wasn’t in control of it. He was terrified.

“It… Mark wasn’t always like this,” Johnny spoke finally. His hands shook as he looked up at the two. He half expected for them to roll their eyes or leave. When they didn’t, Johnny sat up a little straighter, finding a little more confidence, “He used to be so kind and caring. Never laid a hand on me. Until we started getting more popular. Until he found out that people actually wrote things about us being a couple. That’s when everything started getting bad. He wouldn’t let me really… touch him anymore. I would get close to him and he would stiffen up or just flat out push me away. There was nothing that he wanted to do. He didn’t want to kiss anymore, but he still wanted sex. It wasn’t loving like it used to be. He wouldn’t… He wouldn’t-” Johnny cleared his throat, his cheeks beginning to heat up. Looking up at the other two, who still were listening intently. “He wouldn’t prep me as well; he wouldn’t look at me when he was inside of me. Everything was more because he needed the release. Not because he wanted to make love or touch after so long. It was because he needed to find a release that wasn’t using his hand in the shower. He couldn’t look me in the eyes after that. I… I knew that it was over when I tried to pull him down for a kiss and he bit my lip so hard I had to get stitches. That was my first trip to the hospital because of Mark. I think he started to find arousal in getting me to bleed. But I still stayed. I didn’t want to believe that it was true, that this was someone that Mark was becoming. He was falling out of love with me, but I was still so in love with him, so touched starved for him that I stayed and let him beat me until I could barely breathe. After he found out that I wanted to leave him, he started toning it down, telling me how much he loved me. He knew just what to do and say to keep me wrapped around his finger. I would do anything he wanted me to.” Johnny quieted down, looking up at the ceiling to stop his tears from falling down his face, “After he knew I was where he wanted me, it would all start over again. He would hit me, burn me, rape me whenever he wanted. But I just took it… Because I loved him.”

Ten held up his hand to halt Johnny’s words, his whimpering now audible throughout the room, “Please… I’m so sorry to tell you to stop, but please. I can’t take it. I don’t want to hear about him hurting you anymore. I just want to help you.” He wiped his eyes on the back of his hand before sitting down on the bed next to Johnny, who was slightly trembling from recalling the memories of Mark, “Please let us help you. I don’t want him to hurt you ever again.” He looked over at Jaehyun when Johnny laid his head on his shoulder, smiling sadly when he saw that Jaehyun was also in tears. They needed to talk to Mark. All of them. Like an intervention.

“John,” Jaehyun spoke, careful not to startle Johnny, “We need to talk to the others. We can’t… We can’t handle something to this extent together on our own. We have to talk to the others, talk to Mark, to our company. I don’t think this should be up for discussion anymore, either.”

“Jae is right,” Ten said softly, “We have to at least talk to the others about this first. I know it doesn’t seem ideal, but you have to understand that this is serious. Your health and safety are at risk. And possibly ours.”

Johnny nodded, “I know… I know, at first, I didn’t want to ruin his career, but now I don’t care anymore! I just want him to be gone!” He sniffed and laid his head back down on Ten’s shoulder, “Can we… can we tell the others when I’m not there? I don’t want to be there for it. I don’t want to see their judgement.”

“No one is going to judge you, baby, trust me. You’re most definitely not going to be the one getting judgement passed on them.” Ten laughed bitterly and rubbed Johnny’s shoulder, mindful of the gashes that now littered Johnny’s back, “We all love you, bub. You can trust us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! And I know where I want to go with this. So here's a brief chapter about where it all started.


	6. New Prey

After their initial talk the night before, Jaehyun and Ten invited Johnny to sleep in bed with them. It was a tight fit, and quite warm later on, so they just decided to make a fort on the floor with all of their blankets and pillows. Everyone was happy. Johnny cuddled up to Ten’s side, giving Jaehyun a chance to fully examine the gashes on his back. Eve, though Jaehyun didn’t say anything, Johnny knew exactly what he was thinking. He knew exactly how badly Jaehyun wanted to snap Mark’s neck.

“Alright you two,” said Jaehyun as he moved over to the light switch, “It’s time for lights out. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.” After flipping out the lights, he laid back down on the floor, pressing a gentle kiss to Johnny’s forehead, “Johnny don’t worry. We’ll work everything out.”

“…I know,” Johnny whispered, “That’s what I’m afraid of.” He moved to lay his head down on Ten’s chest, thankful that no one decided to make him elaborate on his comment. Truth was, he was terrified of how things would turn out if everyone found out – if it moved up to the CEO of the company. Mark’s career would be ruined, he would be pitied and blamed. He knew how Korea was. They would all blame him. Not to mention the crazy fans that would blame him for ruining Mark’s career. He could see it all play out now. It pained him. Would the company remove him from NCT? Put him on probation? Would Mark come after him? The chances of all this happening were much higher than they should have been.

When the morning rolled around, Johnny awoke and whined, “Fuck…” he grumbled as he sat up. Forts were always a great idea until you woke up with a neck ache that could cripple the devil. He straightened his back and yawned, grabbing his phone to look at the time. Fuck, it was time to start getting the group together. By the sound of it, Jaehyun was already up and in the shower, but Ten was curled up next to him. Johnny almost hated to wake him up, but he still leaned forward and shook the sleeping male, smiling lightly when Ten whined and swatted his hand away. “Chitta, it’s time to start getting ready for the day. We have that tour that we’re going on at noon and it’s half past ten now.”

“Why did we agree to go on that stupid tour?” Ten grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck, “I hate doing things like that. If I wanted to see the scenery I would have come here on my own time. I’m here to see our fans, not the statues and monuments. I don’t even know where we are anymore.” He huffed and crawled out from the fort, cursing as he stood up and his joints cracked, “I think we’re all too old to sleep on the floor like that now.”

“Tell me about it,” Jaehyun interrupted as he opened the bathroom door, laughing at the way Ten shot a glare over to him, “Don’t give me that look, babe. It’s not my fault that your joints aged faster than you.” He pressed a kiss to Ten’s lips and tugged him closer by his pyjama pants, “But don’t worry, I’m still so madly in love with you.”

Ten smiled sadly, “Honey, not now. I love you too but-” he whispered, looking over where Johnny was staring down at his phone with a hurt expression. “We can’t do this in front of him. After what he’s been through.” He pat Jaehyun’s shoulder and sighed, “Let’s let him get ready. I don’t really feel like showering today. Definitely will tonight.” He walked over to Johnny and smiled brightly, trying not to flinch at the hurt expression Johnny had on his face. “Johnny, why don’t you go get ready? You have to film for your episode of Johnny’s Communication that’s coming out on Tuesday. I’ll do your makeup for you.”

Watching Ten and Jaehyun interact together really pained Johnny. Seeing them so happily in love like he once was – it just seemed like they were rubbing it in his face. Johnny thanked his lucky stars that Ten seemed to have enough conscience to not get too handsy with Jaehyun. He smiled when Ten came over and started to speak. His voice was always so soothing, and his English managed to always give Johnny a bright smile. Happily nodding, Johnny headed into the bathroom to shower. He had completely forgotten about his previous encounter with Mark until he took off his shirt. As soon as he saw (and felt) the welts on his back and hips, his eyes welled with tears. He had completely forgotten _why_ he had spent his time with Jaehyun and Ten. Until now. Sniffling, Johnny started the shower and sat down on the toilet seat as he waited for the water to heat up. He was a little nervous about how it would feel, but at the same time it didn’t really matter to him.

“Just a little more…” Ten whispered, smearing eye shadow onto Johnny’s eyes. He laughed and massaged the colours together, happily leaning back to admire his work. He had given Johnny a nice mellow look with a small hint of some pink eyeshadow. He looked fantastic in Ten’s own opinion. _The only one that mattered._ “You look gorgeous,” Ten cooed, leaning forward and pecking Johnny’s nose, causing the other to blush – the colour of his cheeks now matching the colour in the corner of his eyes.

“You love to be flashy, and now you made me flashy,” Johnny teased, looking in the small mirror and making a few silly faces before putting it down, “I look great. Thanks, Chitta.” He pat Ten on the shoulder and stood up, scrunching his face up as he stretched his back, “Are we ready to get everyone else now?”

“Yeah. I think we are.” Jaehyun hummed as he grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone from the table, “Let’s get going.”

The three of the boys had gathered most of the group, Xiaojun and Lucas now wandering out of their rooms to join the other seventeen of them. “Oh, you managed to gather everyone else,” Xiaojun mumbled in broken English, his eyes scanning the crowd. He smiled and greeted everyone with a bow before turning back to Lucas, who was sternly scanning the crowd. He was probably looking to see if Mark was there. Satisfied, Lucas turned to everyone and offered a bashful good morning and a bow before everyone migrated to Haechan’s door.

“Dongkyuck get up, it’s time to get going!” Taeyong said, loud enough for Haechan to hear him through the door.

A few seconds later, to everyone’s shock, Mark opened the door with a towel around his waist. “He’s in the shower. Should be out in about ten minutes. How about we meet you down in the lobby in about fifteen minutes?” Mark looked at his phone and nodded, “Yeah. Fifteen minutes. We’ll both be down there.”

“O-Okay…” Taeyong said wearily, narrowing his eyes for a moment before signalling the other eighteen to head down to the lobby, “Fifteen minutes,” he whispered harshly, pointing a finger at Mark, “And if you’re not down there, I’m breaking the door in.”

“Understood.” Mark smirked before he turned and closed the door, leaving Taeyong alone. At least it gave him some time to collect his thoughts as he headed back down to the lobby.

As promised, fifteen minutes later, Mark and Donghuck came out of the elevator and met everyone in the lobby, offering sloppy ‘good morning’ bows. Mark scanned everyone and smiled, but it quickly faded when he got to Lucas, who looked just as displeased to see him as he was to see Lucas.

Lucas scanned Mark over before his eyes moved over to Haechan. He looked…different. Lucas stepped a little closer to Haechan and smiled at him, “Hey,” he hummed, patting the other’s shoulder and then looking up at Mark. He watched the way Mark’s hands balled up when he touched Donghyuck, and he watched the way Donghuck looked at Mark with a soft, telling smile. They… they slept together. And it definitely looks like Haechan has some makeup on his neck. In one specific place. Lucas felt anger boil up inside him all over again, only this time he kept it at bay. This was his chance to expose them both. “Oh, Haechan~” he sing-songed, picking up the hem of his shirt and licking it, “You’ve got something on your neck. Looks like you have marker on it or something, let me get it!” Despite Donghyuck’s protests, Lucas eagerly wiped away the makeup until a dark purple hickey was presented for everyone to see.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” Mark snapped, not fazing Lucas in the slightest.

“What?” Lucas growled, pushing his way into Mark’s personal space, “Couldn’t boss Johnny around anymore so you decided to fuck Donghuck?” He turned back to look at Donghyuck, who was flushed all shades of pink and red with embarrassment. As he turned back to Mark, he shoved him back and smiled, “You know, I’m not afraid to knock your abusive ass out again. I heard what you did to Johnny, and I’m not going to sit around and let you do it to anybody else.”

At Lucas’ words, everyone turned to Johnny, who was now shaking and staring between Mark and Donghyuck.

“What did he do?” a few of them asked in unison, leaving Johnny a panting and shaking mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff hanger!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure where I'm going with this.


End file.
